


The Boss

by dontknowcats



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Fluff, Mob AU, Original Character Death(s), Smut, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-29
Updated: 2015-06-20
Packaged: 2018-03-26 09:51:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,043
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3846427
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dontknowcats/pseuds/dontknowcats
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cullen's spent his entire life in a mob family, expected to marry a girl who's fit to be a mob wife. Then he meets Atheva.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

It was cold, wet, and dark outside the brewery, but inside it was warm, bright, and full of life. Cullen had spent the past half hour dancing with the girl his cousin had introduced him to. She was nice, full of life, a terrific dancer, and had just offered to get him a drink from the open bar. Not a huge deal, but it was a drink.

His feet were killing him, and he was thankful for the seat and distraction from the large amount of people he had pushed his way through. The dark-headed girl sat down beside him and tossed her black hair over her shoulder, an obvious attempt at looking more desirable than she already did.

“So, is everyone in town here or something?” He asked with a laugh after asking for a house beer.

“Martini please,” the girl ordered before turning her attention to Cullen. “Pretty much. It’s a small enough town that everyone knows your cousin and her now-husband. Lovely people, by the way.”

Cullen opened his mouth to reply before feeling a presence beside him. He glanced over his shoulder and saw an elf, of all people, occupying the seat beside him despite the fact that there were plenty of empty chairs on either side of the pair.

“Oh, yeah, um… Mirra and Thomas are probably the nicest people I have ever met,” he replied, unable to keep his mind off of the only elf he had seen during his entire trip to the tiny town in the upper half of Washington. “So, um, what do you do, Ainsley?”

“I’m a waitress at Small’s Diner down on Main,” she replied with a shrug. “Not an exciting life but it’s decent enough.” Cullen nodded along as if he was listening, but in all honesty he could barely focus on her.

“She always knows what you want before you walk through the door though, so that’s a plus when it comes to a decent tip,” the elf said with a smile he caught for only a second before she took a sip of her drink.

“Like a mind-reader, then?” He asked with a tilt of the head, turning back to look at Ainsley. She looked annoyed that the elf had interrupted, but flashed her kind smile again when she realized he was looking at her.

“Basically,” the elf cut in once more.

Cullen looked back over to the elf and couldn’t help but let his eyes wander her body. Or at least what he could see of it. She was dressed as nicely as any other woman at the reception, wearing a black circle-skirt dress with an illusion neckline made of black lace, but she stood out with her ears and vallaslin. The dark lines traveled around her body, curling around her arms up to her neck and onto her face.

She set her bag upon the bar and pulled out her lipstick, staring past the bartender and into the mirror behind him. The dark burgundy contrasted with her hair rather well, and he caught himself staring.

"The name's Atheva. Moved to town right after the happy couple, got invited anyway. You?" She held a hand out, waiting for a reply and a handshake.

"Cullen. Cousin of the bride in town until tomorrow morning."

"Let's hope you see more than the local sights that everyone's seen," she said with a knowing grin. He could feel the tension in the air rise, but found himself unable to move or say anything to deter it. He was drawn to stay, even when Ainsley asked him to dance again.

"I think I'm done for the night, I'm afraid. I'm sure Thomas wouldn't mind while Mirra dances with her brother, though," he suggested, pointing a finger to his smiling cousin-in-law. The human girl let out an angry huff as she stood from her seat. She shot a glare at Atheva before stalking away to talk to Thomas.

"I've got to ask about the history there," Cullen stated as he turned to finally focus all of his attention on Atheva.

"Shems don't take too kindly to suddenly having to share their tiny town with a spooky elf. Speaking of humans, you must be from a decent-sized city. Maybe with an old alienage or five." She arched an eyebrow with a grin as she waited for an answer.

"Oh, you got me! Most people have to ask about me to figure things out. What gave me away this time?"

"Snazzy suit, looks like it cost quite a bit of money. Fancy Italian leather shoes. I asked Mirra." She cracked a grin when he laughed and knocked back what was left of her drink. "You seem more fun than anyone else here, I must admit, and we've only talked for five minutes. I'd ask you to dance but I don't want you to get in trouble with Mirra and leave my ass out for a whipping. So why don't we wait for dinner and then go back to my place?"

His eyes widened in surprise at the sudden offer, but he stumbled through accepting it and finished off his beer. It felt like hours before they were offered dinner, and by then he wasn't hungry. Talking to Atheva had taken his mind off of the entire event. He could barely focus on anything but her the rest of the night, making him thankful he wasn't driving.

The two spent the ride to her home in silence, the radio the only noise in the car. He was nervous, not for the fact that she was gorgeous, but more so about what his father would say if he stayed the night with a strange girl in a strange town. He was sent as a representative of sorts to the wedding since none of his family members seemed keen on going.

With how they acted when the save-the-date had arrived, it was a surprise there wasn't a shootout at the event. Hell, with the way Cullen had been raised, he half expected Ainsley to pull a weapon on Atheva. The life and times of a son in a mob family was always fun.

“I hope you don’t think I’m driving you all the way out here to murder you. I promise I live only a few more minutes away,” she said with a laugh as she drove them down a twisting road in the middle of a forest.

“I know the kinds of people who do that. Trust me, you aren’t the type,” he said under his breath after chuckling. Finally, as she had said, they approached a house with the outside lights on. It was small, perfect for someone living alone. He could tell it had been there for a while due to the chipping paint and sagging ceiling, but he said nothing as he got out of the car.

“Home sweet home,” she muttered as she unlocked the front door and motioned for him to step inside. “Shoes off before you get on the carpet. Old habits die hard and all that jazz.”

Cullen’s eyebrows raised, hearing the warning right before stepping onto the carpet. Quickly he removed his shoes and his socks and padded into the small living room. It wasn’t the prettiest room he had seen in all his life, but it matched the general feel of the town.

A dark brown couch sat in the center of the room, facing the small flat-screen that hung from the wall. There was a plain black rug on the cream colored carpet and a small coffee table on top of it in front of the couch. There was a large window with the curtains pulled-to in the wall he faced, and to his right the kitchen. No table to sit at.

“Looks like Alistair’s bachelor pad,” he muttered under his breath as she passed by. He watched her take a seat on the couch, propping her feet up on the cushions. Her bag was tossed absent-mindedly onto the table.

“Come over here. What TV shows do you like?” She asked as she picked up the remote. The TV screen flickered on to a late-night talk show.

“Oh, um… That’s fine there.” Cullen made his way to the couch and sat on the far end from her, not wanting to disturb her position. He couldn’t help but smile when she pulled her legs up against her chest, however, to make room next to her.

“Alright. So, since we have some background noise, why are you the only person from your side of the family here for the wedding?” Atheva asked, pulling her phone out of her bag to check it for the first time that night.

Her question surprised him, and he could help but stammer. “I-I, well…

“My parents don’t really care for Mirra’s parents and so that’s a whole thing,” he said quickly, finally figuring out just what he wanted to say. “You must have had quite a conversation with my dear cousin.” He smirked as he moved closer to her, his suit jacket brushing against her legs. She barely glanced up at him.

“She’s a very talkative woman. A pain at the grocery store, but nice when you want to find out all the details about her attractive cousin. Thomas didn’t have much to say about you though, so I figured there were some familial issues going on,” she said with a simple shrug, only looking up from her phone when she was done replying to texts. Noticing his smirk, she couldn’t help but grin.

“Attractive, hm?” He hummed. He slipped out of his suit jacket and was about to toss it on the ground when suddenly he felt her hand wrapped around his wrist.

“That’s gotta be worth some money, so just fold it and set it on the ground. If you toss it it’ll get wrinkled even more,” she whispered. The look in her eyes made him shiver and he obeyed. As soon as the jacket was out of his hand, he felt her take hold of his head between her hands and tug his face inches away from hers.

“Bet Mirra’s gonna be sad when she finds out you aren’t at Ainsley’s apartment tomorrow morning.”

“Bet everyone else will be, too. But I won’t.” He murmured before trying to close the distance between them.

“I hope not.”

He finally broke free of her hold and pushed forward, his lips meeting hers hungrily. A soft whimper escaped her and he pulled back almost immediately.

“Are you alright? I’m sorry if this isn’t what you meant but-“

“I was just surprised,” she murmured before pulling him over her, making him straddle her waist. Already they were eager to rip each other free of their clothes, but they wanted to take it slow as well.

As he pulled her back into the passionate kiss with his teeth nipping lightly at her lower lip, her hands wandered his upper torso. Her fingers fumbled with the buttons on his shirt, occasionally wandering to feel at his muscles before she was able to push her hands flat against his skin, no shirt in the way.

His fingers curled into her hair, taking a handful and gently tugging her head back so he had access to her neck. The sound of her already labored breathing pushed him further, sucking on her skin hard enough to leave a mark. His free hand groped lightly at her breast before sliding down her stomach and between her legs.

She didn’t protest when his fingers pressed against her, rubbed against her covered lips. Her replying moans were soft and warm, her spreading legs signaling her want, her need for more. Cullen let out a low groan as he pressed his hips against hers, grinding the bulge in his pants against her warm mound.

Atheva took a deep breath and pushed him back, trying to catch her breath as she reached behind herself to unzip her dress. The look of confusion on his face made her smile, especially when it turned into a look of understanding.

“Turn around.”

She did as she was told, her hands resting on the arm of the couch. His warm fingers brushed against her neck as he pushed her hair out of the way. The zipper slid down her back, his hand stopping with it right above the curve of her rear.

Atheva was quiet as she stood and shimmied out of the top half of the dress and felt his hands grip the fabric to tug the dress down to her ankles. Stepping out of the puddle of clothing, she motioned for him to stand up as well. While she unhooked her bra he shrugged off his shirt and then unzipped his pants, tossing them over by his jacket.

The room was silent save for the occasional burst of laughter from the TV audience as the two sized each other up. Cullen mentally traced her curves, studied how her chest was already heaving with her shallow breaths, imagined how it would feel to dig his fingers into the roundness of her ass. He noticed her lick her lips, not bothered by the lipstick that was removed, and step closer to him.

“Never thought I’d get to hook up in this town,” she breathed.

“Trust me when I say the same.” He chuckled lightly before wrapping his arms around her and hoisting her into the air. She was quick to grab a hold of him, hugging her body to his so she didn’t fall. They kissed again as Cullen tried to navigate himself to the bedroom.

“Right,” she murmured into his mouth, her tongue following her words. She felt him stumble for a few seconds when he opened the door to his right, but he quickly regained his balance and walked into the small room. With how big the house was, he had expected a twin bed but was surprised to see a decent queen in its place.

He lowered the elf down onto her bed, making sure that he didn’t outright drop her before crawling over her. A hand went beside her head, holding himself up as the other returned to her breasts, now free of her bra. He tugged and twisted one nipple and then the other until both were hard and she was left blushing beneath him.

The hickey was beginning to show on her neck, and he couldn’t help but smile at his handy work before leaving more. Even after he left, she would remember him while she would eventually drift from his mind like the people before her. He felt her arms wrap around him and her nails scratch at his back, eager for more.

 

* * *

 

The next morning he found himself with a tiny elf wrapped around his frame. He felt comforted and at home there, but knew he had to move. He hadn’t said goodbye to Mirra or Thomas yet, and he had no idea what time it was and with the nearest airport three hours away he probably should have said goodbye hours ago.

He carefully slipped away from Atheva, making sure to leave her asleep, and wandered into her bathroom to see how he fared from last night’s activities. Her lipstick had stained his lips, cheeks, and neck. His shoulders had the remains of the burning red scratches she had left, and he found a hickey on his hip, one in the middle of his chest, and another on the left side of his neck, uncovered only after he washed the lipstick off.

Cullen ran his fingers through his hair in an attempt to straighten it out, grumbling under his breath about how messy it looked. But he would have to deal with it until he returned to his cousin’s home and got his things. Hopefully they hadn’t gone straight to the airport from the reception.

He snatched his underwear off the floor and pulled it on before wandering to the living room to retrieve his other clothes. His pants and shirt were horribly wrinkled, but his jacket wasn’t. At least a third of him didn’t look shabby.

His phone had fallen from his pocket and onto the carpet, so he picked it up and dialed Mirra’s cellphone number.

“Hello?”

“Please tell me you aren’t already gone,” he said nervously.

“No, we’re still in town. Do you need a ride from Ainsley’s place?” Mirra sounded surprisingly happy about having to pick up her cousin.

“Not exactly. Do you know where, uh, Atheva lives?” His free hand rubbed the back of his neck as the line went silent. Hopefully she hadn’t hung up.

“Fine,” she sighed, suddenly sounding much less chipper than before. “I should be there in about five minutes. Try not to get into any trouble before I get there.” And she hung up.

“Any trouble? Puh-lease,” he muttered, shoving his phone into his jacket pocket. When he looked up, Atheva was standing in the doorway of the bedroom.

She was still nude, her neck and upper chest covered in marks he had left the night before. Her hair was a mess, and her makeup was smudged away from its original spots by a few centimeters.

“Sorry, did you want a ride to town?” She asked softly, tilting her head to rest against the wall.

“No, no. I didn’t want to disturb you is all.” How awkward.

The elf nodded and turned around, letting him catch another glimpse of her rear before disappearing into the bedroom. He stood there quietly, unsure of what to do now that she was awake. Usually he wasn’t forced to talk to his partners in the morning.

“So, headed back to New York today?” She returned in a robe, the sash tight around her waist. She moved past him with no look of disappointment his way or anything.

“I’m afraid so, even if our night was one that I wanted to continue. If I don’t get back, my father will have my head.” He sighed.

“Is he like your boss or something? He seems oddly in control of your life despite you being at least twenty-eight.” She continued to avoid eye-contact while prepping the coffee maker. “How long do you have? Want some good coffee instead of the sludge Ainsley serves?”

“He wants me to go into the family business, which is fine with me for now. Seems fine enough,” he explained with a shrug before walking to the kitchen. “I don’t think I have enough time, but thanks.” His hands wandered to her hips, giving them a gentle squeeze as he pulled her to him. “I’m going to miss you. Even if we only talked for a few hours.”

Her smile made his cheeks burn and his stomach tie itself in knots.

“Well, why not take my number? Then you can call me or text me when you’re jerking off.”

Nervous laughter escaped him for a few moments before he cleared his throat. “Oh, you’re serious?”

“About the number part, at least. If you call me or text me like that I probably won’t respond until you’re done,” she said with a raise of her brow. “Give me your phone.”

Cullen handed it over without a word, pressing his forehead to hers as she typed her number into his phone and saved it under “Atheva AKA Elf Chick.”

“I don’t think I ever called you that.”

“No, but it’s what everyone eventually does. And I imagine you won’t remember my name when talking to your friends, so… Elf Chick,” she said with a shrug of her petite shoulders. She wasn’t saying it to be mean, no, but merely stating the facts.

He tugged her hips up to meet his, holding her close as she slipped his phone back into his jacket. They stood there for what felt like an eternity, just relishing one another’s company. The pleasing sensation was cut short, however, with two honks from a car outside.

“I’m afraid that’s Mirra,” Cullen whispered, reluctantly letting go of her body. She pushed herself up onto her toes to kiss him once more before he left.

“See you, Space Cowboy.”

“Heh, see you,” he said with a small wave as he made his way to the door. He made sure to slide his socks and shoes on before going out the door, however, making for an awkward farewell moment.

The outside air was heavy and oppressive with precipitation, removing any of the warmth of her body he still felt. In the distance he could see fog laying over the land, and he sighed. It was warm inside Mirra’s car, and she had the radio playing. Her frown was deep-set, however, and he could only imagine how his father would find out.

“Ainsley is so nice! Why didn’t you stay with her?” She asked, not even bothering to greet him.

“Good morning to you, too. And Ainsley was nice but she was also just… boring, for lack of a better word.” He was defensive of his actions the whole way back to the tiny town and Mirra’s home. She kept making sure he knew he had fucked up royally by sleeping with the town outcast. She told him every single rumor, every single bad thing about Atheva and he only found himself more interested in her than before.

It was only nine when he remember to check the time, and he was relieved. His flight didn’t leave until one, so he could catch a ride to the airport with his cousins.

That thought immediately left his mind, however, when he walked into the guest bathroom at their home to fix his hair. There was that mark, turning a dark purple and blue right on his neck. He called to Mirra and asked for some makeup to cover it up.

His mind flashed back to how she had been riding him, raising and lowering her hips while sucking on his neck. His breathing quickened and his face burned and he knew he had to stop thinking of her if he wanted to last the day without touching himself. The curl of her lips when she admired her handiwork, the sound of her crying his name only moments before.

He gripped the side of the sink as tightly as he could, trying to urge all of the images away from his brain and his crotch. She wouldn’t leave his mind.

She didn’t leave when he reached the airport. She had built herself a home in his head by the time he boarded the plane. She made his hand a member of the mile-high club before he was back in New York.

As soon as he could turn his phone on, he called her just to hear her voice.

“Hello?”


	2. Chapter 2

Atheva couldn’t help but smile when she heard a familiar voice on the other line.

“H-Hey, Atheva…” He stammered, “I’m sorry for calling so suddenly, I just landed and… was wondering how your day was?” Cullen offered up. He was grasping for a reason to have called her, she could tell. It was cute, honestly.

“Pretty alright, pretty alright,” she sighed, twirling the knife in her hand. She raised an eyebrow when Ainsley tried to cry out through the binding in her mouth. “Ugh, hold on. Getting a work call.”

“Of course!” He said. The line went quiet, and he picked at the strings on the jeans he had changed into before leaving Washington.  He was waiting at the baggage claim of New York’s infamous LaGuardia airport, eager to grab his luggage and go home after the trip he had had.

Atheva muted her phone for a moment, raising an eyebrow at the girl before her. Ainsley was tied by her wrists and ankles to an old folding chair, a blood-spattered cloth stuffed into her mouth. Her clothes were bloody and cut open in areas for easy access to pain centers.

“Listen, when I’m on my phone you can’t talk. It’s just plain rude.” The elf took hold of the fingers of the human’s right hand and pulled them back with all her might. An ear-piercing scream escaped the Shemlen as all four of her fingers were broken, her thumb left intact. Once her cries of pain dwindled into soft whimpers, Atheva snapped her thumb as well. “You won’t need it anyway,” she muttered.

“Sorry about that!” She said after unmuting her phone. “You know how work can be, such a bitch.”

“Trust me, I know,” he replied with a chuckle. The light on the luggage carousal blinked and the alarm sounded, alerting him that his flight’s baggage was on its way. “I just landed about ten minutes ago, so if I go quiet just keep talking. I’ll be listening.”

She suppressed a groan of annoyance and went back to absentmindedly twirling the knife. How was she supposed to finish her job when she had a love-sick puppy calling her as soon as he could? A cute love-sick puppy, but one that was getting in her way at the moment.

“You are extremely lucky you didn’t get stuck with this guy,” she whispered to Ainsley, holding her phone away from her. “So, Cullen, I take it you missed me today?” Her voice was smooth and enticing when she returned her attention to him.

Well, half her attention. As he spoke, she walked over to her prisoner and held the knife to her throat. A finger in front of her lips indicated that she wanted her to stay quiet. Tiny little letters were carved into her arm, the elf’s form of easing the boredom.

“Aww, how sweet. Can I call you back in, say, an hour? I should be done with what I just got requested to do by then. No, no, I’ll call you. Alright. Okay. Bye,” she cooed before hanging up. “Finally. God, aren’t you lucky you got out of that mess?

“Cullen Rutherford, twenty-eight or twenty-nine, close enough I can’t be bothered to remember. Same generation as us, though. Older sister is Mia Rutherford-James, younger sister is Rosalie Rutherford, younger brother is Branson Rutherford. Hard to find information on his mother, but it doesn’t matter. Died in an ‘unfortunate accident.’ Father is William Rutherford, head of the Lionheart Mafia in New York City.

Cullen’s a known playboy, set to take over for his father if anything is to happen. Branson was skipped over for some unknown reason. But yeah, if you were to fuck ‘em and get his heart, you’d be… doubly fucked, I guess.”

Ainsley didn’t respond, afraid of losing her big toe or whatever Atheva felt like taking.

“You must be wondering why I’m even telling you all this, since you’re going to die and all. It’s really, really simple,” she sighed, a warm smile curling up the ends of her lips. “I can’t wait to see him again. The son of a classic kind of gangster, set to take over an entire fleet of men and huge amount of money? It’s all so romantic.” Realizing just how she sounded, she returned to her usual demeanor. “Anyway, hope you think of his stupid handsome mug before you bleed out.”

Atheva closed the knife and slid it into her jeans pocket before reaching around and pulling out a mini-revolver.  She was never the best shot with a tiny gun like it, so she made sure that the muzzle was almost right against the girl’s forehead.

The trigger was pulled and the girl was dead.

“Okay, maybe not bleed out,” she muttered as the gun was slid back into the small holster around her waist. She was too lazy to clean up today, deciding to leave the corpse all tied up for the owner of the barn to find whenever they decided to visit the decrepit building in the middle of nowhere. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and snapped a picture.

_Here, she’s dead. When do I get my money?_

_What is that on her arm?_

_Nothing important. Money?_

Atheva took one last look at the letters carved into Ainsley’s arm. _AL + CR_. It wasn’t quite a tree, but it was close enough for now. She wandered out into the rain and to her car, thankful for the plastic covering she had put on the backseats. It was quickly tossed out into the rain and left at the farm.

The ride home felt longer than the thirty minutes it took, and it was hard for her to figure out why. Probably because she knew she would have to move again, pick up a new identity and a new phone number. Cullen wouldn’t be able to contact her again if the network had its way. Honestly, she had no idea why she was supposed to kill Ainsley in the first place, but she didn’t care after the way she was treated by almost everyone in town.

By the time she got home, she was seething, ready to get out of the piece of shit town she was in. Even Mirra and Thomas’s kindness would be lost on her if she was told to kill them. Memories of being stuck in the orphanage flooded her mind, never adopted because she was an elf and only “respectable humans” adopted kids. Turning eighteen, thrown out to try and survive on her own.

Ten years later and she had found a way to survive, though it felt like something out of book. She was thrown into the world of underground crime, used as the go-between when someone needed someone else killed. Sometimes she would even fight for money, as if it were the Victorian age. And holy hell did she need to fight something.

Instead she got a call from an impatient Cullen.

“I’m sorry to call, I know you were going to call me, but… ah, is it bad if I’m tempted to buy a ticket to come back? Since Mirra’s gone and all, no one will really know,” he said with a nervous laugh.

“Oh my God it’s like a cheesy romance movie,” she said with a laugh. Her need to break something was shoved to the back of her head as they talked; her blood stopped boiling, her bloody knuckles stopped aching. “I’d love if you came back, though. I just found out I have to move again so it’s really… troublesome.”

“For work?”

“…Yeah, work,” she muttered, turning the engine off. Thunder clapped overhead and she sighed. “I’m going to miss this shithole. Well, the weather and landscape and everything. It reminds me of when I was younger.”

She could hear him discussing something with someone, his hand failing to completely cover the mic on his phone.

“First…. Yeah…. Washington…. Ten-thirty?”

“Cullen not tonight!” She said, her chest squeezing with delight that he was so eager to fly back after just landing. “Tomorrow. Come in tomorrow so I can at least take another shower.”

“Absolutely tonight. The way I feel it’s… it’s stupid, but I can’t help it.” A tiny aww could be heard. “Haha, thanks ma’am,” he said, and she could hear the awkward smile he wore. “Listen, you’re feeling bad and I just think you should have someone there… And what I heard from Mirra I’m not entirely sure you will if I stay here.”

“Cullen…” Her voice drifted off for a few moments as she stepped out into the rain. “I hope you’re not using this as an excuse to fuck me again.”

“N-No way! I would never use a lady’s emotions for my own pleasure.”

“Party pooper.”

“What?”

“I’m joking. You’re a good guy, and I can’t wait to see you again. We can’t really go anywhere if you’re getting in at… when, ten-thirty? So you’ll get here at one… We could grab breakfast tomorrow morning when it starts getting light out.” She pushed the door open, having forgotten to lock it on her way out earlier that day.

Glancing at the clock, she saw it was four-thirty, leaving her with plenty of time to clean the drying blood and toss out any broken pieces of furniture.

“I gotta go through security, but I’ll text you after that. Okay?”

“Alright, I’ll see you in a few hours.”

Time flew by as she cleaned, receiving only three texts from him before he boarded his flight. It was weird to actually clean up a home she would be staying in for a few more days. Usually cleaning was only done on the final day she had left in the home.

The floor in the kitchen was scrubbed, knives and sink cleaned thoroughly. The coffee table, shattered upon the rug, was carefully picked up. She ran the vacuum over the area only after making sure to wash the carpet as well.

“Why is it always a white carpet? Why can’t it be red or black for once? Let me live somewhere modern, goddamn,” she muttered, rubbing the back of her arm against her forehead. It was rare for her to remember her vallaslin, but when she did she was reminded of when she was first taken in by the Dalish. And then the pain.

They wanted it to be traditional, calling for no modern technology. A traditional tattoo all over one’s body hurts quite a lot.

Hearing her phone buzz, she was dragged from her thoughts. Her eyes left her arm, stopped studying the ink beneath her skin, and glanced to the glowing screen of her phone beside her.

_Just landed again, I’ll be there in a few hours._

Had it already been six hours? Had she had her head in the clouds enough times that a simple two hour cleaning stretched out to be three times as long as she wanted? A low groan pushed through her lips as she sat back onto her knees and examined the progress she had made.

Three hours. She could get the blood out of the walkway, toss her dirty clothes into the laundry, take out the trash, and shower in three hours. She’d done it in less, but at least this time she wouldn’t need to wear any makeup to go out or spend a while picking out her clothes. Pajamas were all he expected her in as far as she knew.

Atheva took a deep breath and held it for two counts before releasing to prep herself for the small amount of chores. Once they were done, she’d get the mob son to herself. Maybe a way out of everything came included. She scrubbed the foyer’s tile floor, glad she had kept most of the mess in the barn.

Once the floor was basically sparkling with cleanliness, she pulled off the purple cleaning gloves she had been wearing and wandered over to the trash bag full of wood and glass pieces. The gloves were tossed into the bag, which was then tied shut and carried to the front door. On her way out she grabbed the bucket of bloody water to dump away from the house.

It was still raining, but she didn’t mind since she was going to take a shower next. She didn’t rush through her chores, instead taking time to let the rain hit her face and drip off her nose and chin onto the ground like tears.

The trash bag was tossed into the garbage bin up against the side of the house. The walk to her planned dumping area was a bit slick, resulting in her falling on her ass, ripping up her hands, and losing her bucket in the dark forest.

“Don’t need you anyway,” she muttered “Not like I spent my own money on you or anything.” The trained killer pushed herself up onto her feet and spent the next ten minutes pouting about the loss of her bucket.

She kicked her dirty shoes onto the porch instead of into the newly-cleaned home since there was undoubtedly mud on the bottom of them. Once inside, she pulled her bloody t-shirt up over her head and tossed it onto the ground, followed by her muddy jeans. A groan escaped her as she gathered up her jeans and stomped toward the tiny laundry room across the hall from her bedroom.

Her annoyance was obvious while she started her laundry, slamming the door of the washing machine closed and slamming her hand against the start button.

“Just cleaned the damn floor, fell on my ass, got a bit of mud on the floor from the jeans, fuck me.” She hissed as she walked back to the foyer with a clean towel. Luckily mud came up easier than dried blood.

Once she was finally convinced she wouldn’t get anything else dirty, she walked down the hall to her bathroom. It wasn’t grand, nor was it attached to her room. The house was so tiny it only had one bedroom and one bathroom, the bathroom barely big enough to hold more than one person in it at a time.

She stepped into the shower after undressing the rest of the way and turned the water on. The initial freezing water never bothered her and made the slow temperature raise that much more enjoyable. She shut the glass door behind her before glancing at the mirror across the small room. Her neck and collarbones were covered in purple and blue marks, a happy reminder of the night before. Hopefully they hadn’t been noticed when she walked through town earlier that day, too focused on her job to really care at the time that it was extremely obvious she had gotten some the night before.

After her shower, Atheva grabbed a fresh pair of underwear and a T-shirt from her room to lounge in until Cullen arrived. She snatched her phone from the kitchen counter on her way to the couch, hopping onto the cushions as she checked to see if she had gotten any texts or phone calls.

_1 Missed Call_

Her thumbs danced over the screen, tapping in her code to unlock her phone so she could see who had called. Cullen, as she had suspected. It had only been an hour ago, when she was outside losing her bucket, so she felt it was safe to call him back.

“Did you need the address?” She asked with a laugh when he answered.

“Well, see… Yes. It’s hard to say ‘GPS, take me to the Elf Chick on the edge of this tiny ass town you probably don’t even know.’”

“Alright, alright. Pull over before you put it in, though.”

The two idly chatted for a few minutes after that before Atheva caught herself dozing off in the middle of sentences.

“Hey, um, can this wait until you get here? I’m actually a bit tired. I’ll leave the door unlocked and you can let yourself in. Wake me up if I’m asleep,” she mumbled, rubbing her eye. “See you in a while.” Once he had said his goodbye, she hung up and tossed her phone onto the ground. She struggled for a few minutes to get comfortable, but when she fell asleep, she wasn’t waking back up easily.

 

* * *

 

When she did wake up, it was to the early morning sun practically blinding her. She groaned softly and rolled over and pulled her covers up over her shoulder. It didn’t even surprise her to find that she was in bed and Cullen was beside her. It was inevitable thanks to her falling asleep so early.

He kept his distance during the night it seemed, due to his being on the other side of the bed. A low groan escaped her as she slid across the cool mattress to him. One arm slid over his side and the other snuck beneath his neck so she could hug herself against him and get warm once more.

When he hugged her back, she knew he was feigning sleep.

“Good morning,” she murmured, nuzzling at his neck.

“Good morning to you. I already like this more than yesterday morning.” His chin bumped the top of her head when he yawned but she didn’t mind.

“Well, since you aren’t in a hurry or anything, I can only imagine how much more relaxing it is.”

After that the two went quiet once more and Atheva dozed off for a few more minutes. It was nice to have a false sense of security, especially when you know it will be shattered in at most a day.

As she slept, she dreamt of how she wanted things to be, how her life was supposed to go. She was supposed to have her hands clean, an innocent law-abiding citizen with control over her own life. Or as much control as an elf could have in 2015.

She woke with a start when she heard her phone ring. He must have brought it into her room and plugged it in to charge overnight, because when she rolled onto her back and looked to its normal spot it was there.

AUNT DALE was written across the top the screen, and she frantically tried to accept. Her heart was racing, her hands were shaking. Had they found out that she had contacted Solas? That she had made an actual connection?

“H-Hi Aunt Dale!” She laughed nervously, trying to keep calm enough that Cullen didn’t suspect anything. “What’s up?”

“Good job at killing your target, but next time try not to drag any loose ends into the mix. I suggest, missy, that you drag that boy out of that house right now and get as far away as you can. Find a way to protect the two of you.”

The line went dead and her breath caught in her throat.

“Atheva? Atheva, is everything okay?” Cullen asked, reaching to gently touch her arm. She snapped to attention and pulled away from him.

“I’m fine. I’m perfectly fine. D-Did you see anything weird on your way in?” She stammered.

“I almost hit a deer, but I’m sure that that doesn’t mean anything?” His laugh sounded nervous, as if she were going crazy and he had no idea what to do. Which was halfway true.

“No, it doesn’t.” She shut her eyes tight and took a deep breath to calm herself before turning her entire body to face him. “That was my Aunt. Apparently, um, I got a letter. I last stayed with her so she still gets my mail and all. Um. Anwyay. I got fired. Don’t know why they didn’t call me, but they didn’t. They shoulda known I was here, too, so maybe it was a long-time coming?

Anyway, I don’t… I don’t have anywhere to go now. I can get a job in town and-and I can just live here for the rest of my life.” Fake tears, _check_. Sob story, _check_. Hopefully it would be enough to get his brain working the way she wanted it to.

“Well… I know how sudden this will sound. But. What if you came back to New York with me?” He suggested with a simple shrug of his bare shoulders. “You don’t have to feel pressured into anything, it’s just what… friends do…”

“Cullen, if you pressured me into anything it’s because I want you to,” she said with a weak laugh added for effect. “But are you sure? I mean, I don’t want you to get in trouble or anything like that, especially if you… have someone,” she whispered, widening her eyes as if she just considered she may be a “other woman.”

“No! No, of course not! If I somehow did, I honestly don’t know anything about her. I’m pretty sure I’m not set to marry someone I’ve known all my life, either. We should be good.” He reached forward and gently took her chin between his thumb and index finger to pull her into a soft, reassuring kiss. “So, come to New York?”

“I’d go anywhere with you,” she whispered.


	3. Chapter 3

It wasn’t Atheva’s first time in New York City. In fact, it was the headquarters for the Dalish. What better place to tear down your opponents than in their backyard? She had even fought in one of the bigger fights between the Dalish and one of the human gangs (small enough to not be missed by anyone but their loved ones), and who knew if she had even passed Cullen’s path at one point?

He probably spent most of his time in the Upper East Side of Manhattan, however, and her stuck in one of the more “less fortunate” areas of New York City depending on her age. When she had joined at the age of eighteen she lived in Queens, then moved to Crown Heights. Eventually she was settled into Harlem before being told she had to move around the country for “more experience in the field.”

The memory of being dragged from her friends was still one that shook her to the core, and apparently her fear was visible.

“Atheva?” Cullen asked, leaning forward to try and get a better look at her face. His hand was warm on hers, and she instinctively turned her palm upwards and gripped his hand tight.

“Sorry, I just… Flying has always been hard for me,” she murmured, turning to face the man she had only met two days before. The way he relaxed when she turned to look at him made it obvious he had been holding his breath. He had most likely been worried she would change her mind and leave him. “But I’ll be alright. What are we going to do after we get our luggage? Go to your place, or will I get a tour of the Big Apple?”

Cullen grinned and leaned forward to press a small kiss to her temple. “Obviously we’ll have to go to my apartment to drop off our bags. We’ll see what happens after that.” He turned her hand over and patted the back of it gently with his free hand.

Atheva turned her head and watched the scenery outside of the window change from the vast white void of the cloud they were flying through into a sight no human or elf was ever meant to see. The sun danced across the white clouds, tinging them varying shades of orange and red. It was always her favorite part of a flight during the day.

 

* * *

 

The seven hour flight was enough to drain most of Atheva’s energy for the remaining day, but she wasn’t going to let that keep the two of them from enjoying the evening. When they reached the luggage claim she had expected him to simply lead her to a cab, something she was still used to from whenever she had returned to her clan. Instead, he led her towards a man dressed in a black suit and tie who introduced himself as Dave The Driver.

“Sounds like a hell of a job,” she joked as the man took her luggage and lead them to the car. She’d expected a limo before remember they were in New York and Cullen wasn’t a celebrity. Dave opened the back hatch of a black Bentley while Cullen slipped a hand around the elf’s waist and pulled her close. “What kind of car is that?” She asked curiously, trying to keep her jaw off the ground.

“Bentley Flying Spur. It’s a couple of years old now, but it’s still pretty top of the line,” he murmured, his lips light against her forehead as he spoke.

“What the heck do you do where you can afford multiple plane trips over the course of two days and a Bentley?” Dave opened the passenger door as she turned to look up at her escort. A nervous smile tugged at his lips as he ushered her into the car.

“Family business. Leftover money from my mom and dad, that sort of thing.”

Once she was in her seat, she turned to face him as he got in. “I knew you were rich but this is ridiculous. Is it bad if I say I love you now?”

His laugh was like music to her ears and brought her back down to Earth, something she hadn’t expected to happen. “To normal people, probably. But… you’re moving in with me after only meeting two days ago. Moving fast is probably okay with us.”

She sighed and leaned back into the comfortable leather seats as Dave shut the door and walked to the driver’s door. Once he was seated and buckled in, he started the car and they drove off. The ride was comfortable and relaxing, almost lulling her to sleep until Cullen placed his hand on her knee. Her heavy eyelids opened halfway and she looked over at him, enjoying the curve of his lips and the scar that dragged up beneath his nose from his upper lip.

Dave the Driver pulled over in front of a rather stunning apartment building, tall enough that Atheva couldn’t see the top until she stepped out of the car and tilted her head back at a ninety degree angle. “Am I dressed right for this?” She asked, turning to Cullen and motioning down to her t-shirt, dirty jeans, and scuffed up boots.

“As long as you’re wearing clean underwear I’m sure the doorman won’t mind,” he reassured her, his hand wrapping around her waist once again. It took a good amount of self-control to keep her from telling him how she had been turned away from such places in her younger years, even when trying to meet with friends and higher-ups who lived in the buildings.

“True. It’s not like I’m meeting your parents or anything.” The nervous grin that he donned made her frown, and as she was about to ask if she was a male walked out of the building.

“Cullen!” He exclaimed joyously before making his way to the two. The men were nearly the same height, but the newcomer was an inch or two shorter. He had tawny brown hair spiked up near the front and his brown eyes would squint nearly shut every time he smiled.

“Alistair!” Cullen said with a laugh as his arm moved from Atheva’s waist to wrap around his friend’s shoulders in a brief hug.

“Where have you been? I heard you had to go to a wedding but it was only supposed to be a day. Mia is freaking out upstairs.” As he pulled back from his friend, Alistair tilted his head as he looked to Atheva. “And who are you? Cullen, don’t tell me you’re going to let her meet Mia in this state.”

“What state is that?” She shot back, crossing her arms defensively over her chest.

“Oh, not you. You look lovely. But his sister, Mia. She’s not in the happiest of moods and meeting ano- a girl that took her dear baby brother away from her for an extra day might not be the best idea.”

Atheva lowered her arms, but her glare didn’t soften. “Did you not tell your family?” She asked, turning her newfound annoyance to Cullen.

“I, um, didn’t really think about it,” he admitted nervously, his hand moving to rest on the back of his neck as he looked away from her.

She rolled her eyes and sighed before holding out a polite hand to Alistair. “Atheva. In some sort of relationship with the man who’s probably going to be dead in the next couple of minutes.”

He snorted in response as he took her hand and shook it. “Alistair. Best friends with the idiot who’ll be dead in the next couple of minutes. If I wasn’t married I’d offer to take you away from all this but… Then I’d definitely be dead, probably.” He glanced back to Cullen with a snarky grin.

“How romantic,” the other male replied with a roll of her eyes.  “I should go talk to Mia, though. Are you on a time crunch?”

“Not for another few hours. Why?” Alistair asked.

“Bring Atheva up in a few minutes. Hopefully Mia will be too annoyed with me by then.”

“My hero,” she said, clasping her hands beside her head in a mocking swoon. The smirk she received brought warmth to her cheeks and a smile to her lips. “Don’t die while you’re up there, okay?”

“Promise.”

Alistair turned as Cullen walked past, raising a hand in salute before turning back to Atheva. “So, just Atheva. I’m assuming you two met in Washington?”

“Yep. Peeled him away from this human chick and took him home like a stray. I think he likes me enough, but… obviously he’s brought other girls home, right?”

“Ah, guess I wasn’t quick enough to catch that. But yeah, you’re not the first I’m afraid. It is the first time he hasn’t been drunk, though, so that’s a good start.” The observation made the elf laugh and she turned her head to watch Dave the Driver walk past with her luggage.

“Am I the first one who’s gotten to move in with him?” She asked without looking to her conversation partner.

“What? You’re… moving in?”

“I mean that’s what he said to me. I’ll admit it feels weird but whatever. He’s got some money obviously and I feel safe with him. I think he can take care of himself, too. Good guy overall.”

Silence passed between the two as Alistair took in what she had said while she gave him a leveled look, almost challenging him to figure out what she meant. He grew visibly uncomfortable and looked away and then to his watch, pushing his jacket sleeve up to see how much time had passed. “I think we can go now,” he muttered.

A smile appeared on her face and she nodded. “Lead the way, just Alistair.”

He seemed uneasy as they walked into the building’s lobby. The marble floor was what first caught her attention, as she had been trained to keep her head down while walking in public spaces to keep from being seen. Everything was reflected in the clean floor, prompting her to look up at the surprisingly large chandelier above her head. It was obvious the tenants here were wealthy.

“This way,” he instructed, motioning for her to follow him to the bank of elevators further inside. It wasn’t a long wait for an elevator and the ride to the tenth floor took only a minute. Before the door opened she made sure to check her hair in the mirrored walls. Didn’t want to look too much like a slob for the family.

As the door opened she found herself surprised that there was no yelling or screaming. Weren’t siblings supposed to do that? No, instead it was a very intense discussion in the kitchen that Alistair led her to. “I think I’ll be safe so you can go if you want. I think.”

“And miss this? Not a chance,” he replied, seeming suddenly comfortable enough to return to his snark level from before.

All four of the people in the living room had curly blond hair, though the shades differed through the family. Cullen’s was the most gold, the other boy’s was a mixture of blond and brown, and the two girls were both very fair-haired. The angriest one, the one with her arms crossed over her chest, glanced up from Cullen to shoot Atheva the stink eye.

“And who is this?” She asked.

“Mia, she’s not important right no-“

“Not important my ass,” the other boy chortled. “You stayed late for a girl? A cute girl, yes, but… Dad won’t be happy about this.” He winked at Atheva and she couldn’t help when her heart skipped a beat. What was with all the cuties in the family?

Cullen groaned and turned to motion for her to step forward. Once she was next to him he placed a hand against the small of her back. “Atheva, this is my family. Well, my siblings. My parents aren’t here right now. That’s Mia, that’s Rosalie, and that’s Branson.” He pointed to the angry girl, the girl that actually seemed excited to meet Atheva, and the boy. “Everyone, this is Atheva.”

“What’s your last name?” Mia asked curiously.

“Oh, um, Lavell. It’s a really old elf name,” she said, trying to hide her nerves. The Dalish assigned each person under their “care” a surname, usually a clan name from hundreds of years ago. She didn’t trust the family enough to tell them the entirety of her name, a creeping feeling telling her they had plenty of information to know how rare it was for an elf outside of the Dalish to have Lavellan as a last name.

“Lavell… That sounds really familiar,” Branson mumbled while Cullen gripped lightly at the back of her t-shirt.

“Atheva Lavell. Better than Candy and Chastity,” Mia sighed, raising her hand to pinch the bridge of her nose.

“I was very drunk and kicked them out the next day, I’ll have you know,” Cullen replied, thinking that it would somehow make the entire situation better. The look he received from his older sister made him close his mouth, though.

Mia lowered her hand and shook her head with a sigh. “I just can’t do this right now. Go take her to your place and we’ll talk in the morning. I’m sure you two are tired,” she muttered, picking up the glass of wine that had been sitting in front of her.

“So… this isn’t your place?” Atheva asked, looking up to Cullen.

“This is our parents’ place. Meeting room of sorts, too. Cullen, Rosalie, and I all have apartments on different floors. Mia lives with her husband in the next building,” Branson explained.

“Branson will you please stop telling her everything?” Mia brought her glass to her lips and almost downed all of her wine immediately. “It was lovely to meet you, Atheva, but I’m afraid I’m gaining a massive headache. So, please?”

“It was nice to meet you all, hopefully we can catch up tomorrow,” the elf said politely, waving at everyone before being lead back to the elevator. She noticed Alistair linger behind, most likely to discuss with the family what she had said outside. He was probably a part of the gang.

Cullen led Atheva down the hall and into the elevator, pressing the button for the ninth floor. When the doors shut, he turned to look at Atheva with a raised eyebrow. “Lavell is your last name?” He asked curiously.

“Yeah. And before you ask, _you didn’t ask_.”

“I guess I was too caught up in how lovely you looked,” he sighed, looking away for a moment before sneaking a glance down at her to gauge her reaction.

“Oh shut up. You’re such a loser.” She smiled up at him and pushed herself up onto her tiptoes, her arm wrapping over his neck as she pulled him down to kiss her. Their lips met briefly before the door opened.

Atheva watched Cullen’s mind work and a sly grin appear. Suddenly his arms moved to slide behind her back and knees before picking her up bridal style. “Cullen!” She squealed with a laugh, both arms now wrapping around his neck as he carried her into the hall.

“Oh, um. Key’s in my pocket,” he mumbled as he stopped in front of a door marked 9C.

“I’m strong, you don’t have to worry about me,” she cooed. Her lips brushed against his jaw when he lowered his arm from her back to get his key from his pants pocket. She kept herself pressed tight against him while he unlocked the door and even when he brought his arm back up to hold her.

The door opened quickly and shut even faster, his key tossed forgotten onto the coffee table. “Did the trip take too much out of you?” He whispered, dropping her legs so he could move both of his arms to hold her up beneath her rear.

“I don’t think so,” she murmured before kissing him once more. Her legs wrapped around his waist and her ankles crossed behind him. She ran her fingers through his hair, tangling her fingers into blonde strands. She felt his hands squeeze her cheeks as he walked her toward what had to be the bed.


End file.
